Love Awaits Me
by Bluekit5
Summary: Kuchkik Rukia lives in a world where Europe has fallen back into the age of royalty, but this time they have technology. Rukia is England's princess. Her brother, the king of England, offers her hand in marriage to the prince of Italy; Kurosaki Ichigo, to keep peace between England and Italy. But maybe this marriage wasn't a bad thing after all.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my new story that I have been working on while updating **_**Taken Away**_**. Anyway I really wanted to write a princess/prince/king/queen story with Ichiruki. Well I hope you guys like it. :D Enjoy!**

The small woman swiftly walked down the hall, arms at her side, fist clenched. A scowl was set upon her usually cheerful face. Everyone knew to back off and leave her alone in this state as she headed to her brother's study. _I can stop this from happening. I have to, _she thought as she turned a corner.

She was about to barge in when she remembered her manners and knocked.

"You may enter," a voice said, fully knowing who would be on the other side of the door. She slipped in and closed the heavy oak doors behind her. Her brother's eyes flickered on her before they went back down to what he was writing.

"Byakuya, you have to stop it. I refuse to go through with it! I will sound rude when saying this, but how dare you!" She exclaimed, her little cheeks flushed with anger. Byakuya sighed and put his pen down.

"Rukia, please refrain from yelling. It is not lady-like. I know it is unfair to you, but this is the way royalty works," he said. He once again returned to writing his letter to Italy's king.

"But I can't marry that...that...buffoon! Can't it be someone more…suitable?"

"Rukia, I cannot back out of my promise. Also, your marriage could be peace back into England. Please Rukia; it is your duty as a princess. You've known that since you were born," Byakuya truly felt sorry for his young sister, but England had to find a way to keep peace with Italy. This was the only way. He wished her didn't have to force her into marriage like this, especially since she had not turned seventeen yet. But she was a princess and it was her duty.

"I know," Rukia sighed. Her shoulders slumped forward. Oh how she hated living in Europe. The whole continent somehow had fallen back into the ways of royalty. Kings and Queens. Princes and Princesses. Although, at least they had the technologies of today, Rukia hated it. It was a deep passion in her heart. And Europe was the only continent to return to the ways of royalty. Asia didn't. Of course America didn't. No one else had. And to make matters worse, they continued the ways of how a princess would marry. Rarely centuries ago did princesses get to choose their betrothed and the present was the same. And it was just her luck she was a princess.

Finally, after sitting in silence for a few minutes, Rukia spoke.

"When are we to meet?" she asked. She had been avoiding this question for some time now. She had hoped that she could call the wedding off, but her fiancé was already in the palace. In fact, Rukia questioned herself for even trying to plead with Byakuya. It would be beyond rude if Byakuya was to call off the wedding with the King of Italy and his son staying in the palace.

"Tomorrow at noon. Please do not be late," he said before dismissing her. Great. She had been successfully avoiding the prince up until now. During the preparations for the wedding, she avoided him at all costs. Fittings in her room. Pretending she was sick so she would not have to make decisions about things with him. But they rarely even had to make decisions. Byakuya and the King made basically all of them. Like what colors it will be or who's going to sit at whose table. And what music will be playing and so on. Nobody asked their opinion Rukia was quite fine with this for she wanted no part in the wedding whatsoever. Even though she had to play the bride. To her, the wedding was just a big play. She had to play the bride. The prince had to play the groom. The wedding guests were the audience. She had to put on an amazing performance to make the 'audience' believe it. But, deep down, she knew she couldn't. She had told herself a million times that the prince would never actually be her husband. Just a stranger. And she was marrying that stranger on August 5th. It was July 25th.

Rukia walked calmly down the hall. To everyone else, she seemed fine now. Maybe her brother talked to her and told her how good the marriage would be not only for her, but England? But her mask cracked when she was alone in her room. Grabbing the nearest pillow, she pressed it against her face and screamed. Screaming is not lady-like to Byakuya unless you are in trouble. She didn't care. She threw herself on her bed, tears forming at her eyes. She had to spend the rest of her _life _married to someone she did not love. She knew it was her duty, but the entire thought brought her down. Life just wasn't fair.

**Yes, I know, short chapter. Very short chapter. But I shall write a longer one now! So did you guys like it? All I did in this chapter was explain her situation…kinda. Hmm who could be this prince? Oh wait it already tells you. Hehe. Well review my darlings! See you ion the next update! :DD **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey peeps! It is my second update! :) Yay! Well I don't have much to say so enjoy!**

Rukia woke up, not realizing that she had cried herself to sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at her digital alarm clock. Holy crap it was 11:45! She had slept in! Bolting out of bed, she quickly threw on a medium length, light blue dress on after shedding yesterday's clothes. She tried to put her hair in an elegant bun, but just kept it straight when it refused to look at least decent. In the mirror, she soothed out her dress, satisfied that she had gotten ready in less then five minutes.

Rushing out her door, Rukia tried to walk at an evenly pace, restraining herself from sprinting down the halls. She hustled to her brother's study and was five minutes early. The clock read 11:55. She quietly knocked and, on hearing enter, she swung the giant oak door open. Byakuya was his desk. He looked at her and stood up from his chair.

"Come on, we are to meet them in the conference room," he said leaving his study, Rukia at his side. They walked down to the conference room silently, neither speaking word. Rukia was quite use to Byakuya not talking to her. She assumed he just wasn't one for words. And she was perfectly fine with that. Because she intended to keep to herself when she had to meet with the prince. She had it planned out; just don't talk to him. Ignore him completely. It was a plan she could handle.

As they walked down the endless halls, Rukia was deep in thoughts. So deep she almost crashed into the doors leading to the conference room. She quickly recovered and held her posture as they both walked in together. The sight of the prince made her want to hide. The way he looked at her was disgusting. She hated how deeply he could gaze at someone with his intense amber eyes. Her violet eyes dropped down to the floor as he continued to look at her. He was as she remembered him. Wild orange hair, intense amber eyes, casual, and very cocky.

His eyebrows rose as Rukia sat down at the table and she refused to look at him. Byakuya sat down between her and the King of Italy, Kurosaki Isshin. The prince, Kurosaki Ichigo sat beside his father.

"Oh Rukia how nice it is to see you again. I was beginning to think you were purposely trying to avoid us," Isshin said, pouting. Rukia softly smiled at Isshin. She liked him, just not his insane son.

"I would never do such a thing!" Rukia teased, laughing. She peeked at Ichigo at the corner of her eye and saw he did not like how she was paying attention to his father and not him.

"Well Byakuya and I must settle some matters about the wedding. Now what don't you two go for a walk or something?" Isshin wiggled his eyebrows at his son, trying to indicate something. Ichigo nodded at his father and stood up. Rukia sighed. Well she had to talk to her fiancé at some point. She just wished it wasn't now. She also stood up and followed Ichigo outside of the conference room.

"So you have been trying to avoid me, haven't you?" Ichigo asked as they walked into the garden.

"Maybe," Rukia replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Ichigo walked alongside her much to her annoyance.

"Well. What do you want to do future wife?" Ichigo asked. Rukia almost snapped at him. She did _not _want to be his future wife. Or have anything to do with him.

"I would rather go back to my chambers alone," Rukia said, avoiding his eyes. Her hands clenched into fists. She did not want to be here with him.

"Then what am I suppose to do? And I think the whole reason of sending us off together was to make us closer, midget," he said, feeling a little hurt that she would plain out refuse him.

"Well maybe I don't want to be closer to you! And don't call me midget, giant! You do remember that this marriage is arranged and if I could, I would not so much as hesitate to call off the wedding and never see you again!" She hated it when people called her midget, it got her riled up. Her arms went down to her sides as she kept walking. She did not want to be close to him.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks and stared at her. He was very hurt. Luckily his bangs covered his eyes for the moment. Why would she want to hurt him like that? Rukia glanced behind her and saw he was just standing there. Great, she hurt his feelings. Oh well. She kept walking and didn't stop until she reached her room. Her tummy rumbled. Oh yeah she hadn't eaten lunch either. Lovely. She decided to just stay in her room. She didn't care if Byakuya was mad at her for abandoning Ichigo in the garden. In fact, it should be her who was mad at him. He was making her marry a man she did not love. And Ichigo he was so…ugh. The way he thought he owned everything and just the way he kept looking at her! It angered her.

Rukia once again collapsed on her bed in despair. Hours passed and no one seemed to care where she was. Her tummy protested in hunger again, but she did not want to come out of her room. Finally, someone knocked on her door. She lifted her head and called enter before dropping her head again on the pillow. She assumed it would be Byakuya coming to lecture her on her 'duties' and how she was to act like a princess or to scold her on leaving Ichigo. But the identity of the visitor surprised her. Ichigo was leaning against her door, a plate of steaming food in hand. Rukia avoided making eye contact with him as he walked in. He laid the plate of food on her nightstand and stood there awkwardly.

"I know. I know the marriage is forced, but can we at least be friends?" Ichigo broke the silence. Rukia kept her head down and thought to herself, _no._ She wouldn't say it out loud though. She stayed silent as he leaned on the wall. Several minutes passed in silence before he scowled and walked out.

Rukia turned her head to the plate of food, still hot. She snatched it from the nightstand and picked at it. Slowly she devoured it. Setting the empty plate on the bed, she laid her head on the pillow and, for the second time, cried herself to sleep. She was unaware that Ichigo was outside her door the whole time and listened to her cry.

**Another short chapter. I'll make them longer, I promise! And the wedding will be in the next chapter! :D** **Review my darlings!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Another chapter finished! And this one is kinda long! :O Well enjoy! And thank you all for the reviews. They are very much appreciated. :D**

Rukia shifted in the stiff dress as the maids put the finishing touches on it. Her wedding day was finally here and she had gotten no sleep the night before. Plus, she was sure the dress was trying to cut off her circulation. One of the maids put the veil on top of her head. Byakuya came in and observed.

"Let's hurry up," he told one of the maids before walking out.

Soon she found her left arm linked with Byakuya's right arm as she walked down the aisle. Rukia tried her best to look happy for her people, but found it difficult. People from all over England traveled to London to watch her get married. Most didn't know it was an arranged marriage. Only a few realized. She slightly turned her head to see if her best friends were here. Of course they were! She saw Rangiku and Momo sitting in the front row. Seeing them made her remember that after the wedding was over she probably would never see them again. Because right after the wedding was over, she was boarding a private jet with Isshin and Ichigo and flying to Italy. A two and a half hour flight. She made a metal note to see Rangiku and Momo after the ceremony.

Before she knew it, they were at the alter. She let go of Byakuya's arm and stepped up, across from Ichigo. The minster was saying something, but Rukia had zoned him out, focusing on a random object. A fake smile was plastered on her lips. That smile was intended for her people, not him. When the minster asked the question, she replied with "I do" like a robot. No emotion in her voice or face. Ichigo said the same and was suppose to 'kiss the bride' like American tradition. Why did they put American traditions in an England wedding? Isshin and Byakuya were the only ones that knew why and they had locked their lips and thrown away the key.

The minster announced they were husband and wife and to kiss the bride. Rukia held still as Ichigo's lips brushed hers. How badly she wanted to pull away, but she stayed were she was. As soon as Ichigo lifted his head, everyone cheered. Everyone hustled to the ballroom for the reception. Rukia immediately left Ichigo's side and searched for her two friends. As she searched, many people congratulated her.

"Congrats sweetie!"

"You two are so cute together!"

"We'll miss our little princess!" And so on. She stopped to thank everyone who congratulated her. Finally, she found Rangiku and Momo at the stand where there were drinks. Momo was trying to pull a sake bottle out of Rangiku's hands. Rangiku put it down when she saw Rukia.

"Rukia! I'm so glad you finally found someone! And someone so handsome," Rangiku enveloped Rukia into a giant hug. Momo tried to pry Rukia out of Rangiku's grip. Rangiku let go of Rukia and set her down. Rukia had to catch her breathe before she could speak.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you guys. Can we go somewhere more private?" Rukia led the way to a pillar quite some way from the party.

"What is it Rukia?" Momo asked quietly.

"Well, the marriage, it…it was forced. It was arranged to keep peace between England and Italy," Rukia forced the words to come out, looking down at her feet.

"Oh Rukia, that's terrible!" Momo said. She hugged Rukia and so did Rangiku.

"I know. But Byakuya said it was my duty as a princess," Rukia said, sighing. "And I don't know if I'll ever see you guys again." Rangiku let out a wail.

"Of course you will Rukia! I won't let anything stop me from seeing my best friend again! If he won't let you, I'll kidnap you myself!" Rangiku exclaimed. Rukia softly smiled at Rangiku.

"Yeah, we'll kidnap you," Momo said. She also smiled. Rukia hugged them again, so grateful to have friends like them.

"I highly doubt that you two alone will be able to kidnap her," a voice said from the shadows. Rukia scowled at the familiar voice. Ichigo stepped out of the shadows and towards them. "Rukia, we better go. Everyone is looking for you." Rukia sighed. She had been sighing more then ever since this whole marriage talk started.

"Bye Momo. Bye Rangiku. I'll see you later," Rukia said. Ichigo started walking towards the front of the ballroom, Rukia reluctantly following. There were tables at the front, dancing in the back. At the very front was a table with two chairs, intended for the bride and groom. Rukia sat down and turned her body away from Ichigo as he sat down. He noticed this and ignored it. If she wanted to act that way, fine. Dinner was served a few minutes after the bride and groom sat down. The main courses were; fish, chicken, or pork chops. Sides included; vegetables, salad, or mashed potatoes. When served her chicken and mashed potatoes, all Rukia did was eat her mashed potatoes and picked at the chicken with a disgusted look on her face.

"What's wrong? Not hungry?" Ichigo asked her after five minutes of her stabbing her fork into the chicken breast.

"I'm starving. Who made the menu?" Rukia said still stabbing her chicken breast.

"I don't know my dad and your brother? If you're hungry than just eat."

"I can't," Rukia whispered, turning her head to look at him.

"Why? Trust me weight is not a problem for you," Ichigo said. He didn't like it when girls implied they were 'fat'.

"It's not that. I'm a vegetarian," Rukia said softly. Ichigo understood.

"Well why didn't you tell that to your brother?" he asked. If she was a vegetarian, they could have put something for her on the menu.

"I did. But obviously he doesn't care about what I want," Rukia said, lowering her eyes to the floor. If he cared what she wanted, he wouldn't have made her marry someone she didn't love or even like for matters.

"Well, still," Ichigo persisted. Rukia looked back at him, angry.

"Just forget it. Please just leave me alone," she hissed, trying not to raise her voice. She just wanted this night to be over with. Ichigo looked away, hurt once again in his eyes. Did she not really care for him?

Much to Rukia's relief, the night closed to an end after everyone had a slice of the wedding cake. She could tell Rangiku was drunk as she found her friends to say goodbye.

"Please write letters, I still want to stay in touch," Rukia said to Momo for she knew Rangiku probably wouldn't.

"What about texting? You do have your cell phone, remember?" Momo asked.

"No. Byakuya is not letting me take my cell phone," Rukia lowered her voice, "But I am sneaking my iPod and its charger. I can text you on that if you want." Momo nodded her head and smiled. Rukia gave the two of them a final hug before slowly walking away and to her room to gather her things. She was only allowed a single suitcase to pack her things since she would have a new life in Italy. Rukia had crammed everything she could into that one small suitcase. She had to sadly leave the rest of her beloved clothes in her room. Maybe Byakuya would donate them to someone who needed them more then she did. That thought brightened her up a little, but not too much. She was going to miss her life in England. No more hanging out with Rangiku or Momo anymore. No more spending the entire day running around in the gardens. No more visiting the stables or her lovely horse, Snowfall. No more visiting the woods or any of her favorite hiding spots. No more of her former life.

Rukia walked out of her room, casting a sad look back before heading over to the west wing of the palace where a private jet stood. It took her a while to get there, her feet dragging behind her. It was only 6 pm. They needed to leave before 7 pm.

Finally, she reached the area where the private jet was, Byakuya waiting for her. Isshin and Ichigo were already on the jet, waiting for her. Byakuya ushered her in without a word. Not even a goodbye. The door closed behind her and she looked around the jet. Leather seats, a bathroom, sink; everything that made it feel like a living room in the air. Ichigo was sitting in the back, arms crossed against his shoulders, head leaning against the window. She assumed they were to sit together so she sat in the seat next to him. He seemed surprised that she was sitting next to him.

Rukia instantly regretted sitting next to him because she was going to have to for the next 2 ½ hours until they reached Rome, Italy's capital and where their palace was.

Rukia had never been a plane or jet before. In fact, she had never left London before. She was a little scared. The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, saying they were taking over now. Rukia gripped onto the arms of her chair as the plane started to move and got faster and faster every second. They bumped once and then took off into the air. Rukia yelped as they took off and, unknowingly, fastened herself onto Ichigo's arm. He smirked as she held onto his arm. Once the jet leveled out and was moving at an evenly pace did Rukia let go of Ichigo's arm, still not realizing that it was his arm she had grabbed onto.

The rest of the plane ride there was quiet, no one speaking. Rukia spent her time reading a magazine about bunnies while Ichigo fell asleep. Isshin made himself a drink before passing out like his son.

The pilot woke up Isshin and Ichigo when he announced they were going to land soon. Rukia glanced towards the window and saw the lights of Rome. It was gorgeous from where they were in the air. She started to make out buildings as they got closer and closer to the ground. They had a bumpy landing, but Rukia held onto her chair's arms instead of Ichigo's.

Within a short period of time, they arrived at Italy's palace. A variety of people on the streets rushed to welcome Italy's new princess and soon to be queen even though it was dark out and most should be in bed. Rukia ducked her head down in embarrassment. Ichigo led her to a car they were supposed to take to the palace. She could she the palace from where she was and saw it had a huge gate with giant white walls to keep unwanted people out. As they drove to the palace, people followed the car. Once they got to the gate, a crowd of guards pushed all the people back and the gate swung open to permit them in.

The car stopped and Rukia got out with Isshin and Ichigo. Guards surrounded them and ushered them into the safety of the palace. Isshin went off somewhere while Ichigo led Rukia to their room. While they were still in England, Ichigo had called ahead had asked the maids to put in another bed in his room since it seemed Rukia would rather sleep on the floor then share a bed with him. So in the corner by the window, there was a smaller bed for Rukia. Now of course if she was okay with sharing a bed with Ichigo, she didn't have to use it.

Ichigo unlocked his bedroom door and pushed it open. He gestured for Rukia to go in first. She walked past him, wheeling her suitcase after her. She instantly knew the smaller bed was for her. At least he wasn't going to force her to share a bed with him. Rukia set her suitcase down by the bed. Ichigo had left to go and change in the connected bathroom. She quickly slipped out of her purple dress she had put on after the wedding and slipped into her pajamas. Crawling under the covers, she laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Ichigo walked out of the bathroom, seeing that she was already in bed. So she didn't want to talk, did she? He shook his head and also climbed under the covers in his own bed and closed his eyes.

30 minutes later, Rukia, making sure she thought Ichigo was asleep, started to softly cry. Byakuya taught her better, but she cried anyway like she had been doing every night until the wedding. Her crying stopped after she fell into a fitful sleep.

Little did she know that Ichigo had been wide awake, listening to her soft cries until she had cried herself to sleep.

**Whew. I'm tired. Well my review my darlings! And have a good day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people on Fan Fiction! :D Well here is the 4****th**** update as I promised. Wait…when did I promise it? Who knows? Well enjoy! **

Rukia woke up and it seemed like she was back in her bed, going to start the morning as she usually did by visiting her horse, Snowfall. Reality crashed down on her as she looked over and saw Ichigo in the other bed. She wasn't going to see Snowfall and she wasn't going to start her morning like she usually did. She put a hand up to her face and felt dried tears on her cheek. So she really did cry last night.

Rukia sat up in bed and yawned. She was exhausted even though she had slept for quite a while last night. Hopping out of bed, Rukia opened her suitcase and found a thin, yellow dress for her to wear in the summer heat. It was worse in Italy then England. She missed her country, England, so much. But Italy was her country now whether she liked it or not. And she did not like it. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door as quietly as she could. She tossed her pajamas to the floor and wiggled into her yellow dress.

Stepping back in the bedroom, Rukia saw that Ichigo was already up and dressed in the time it had taken her to get dressed. Yet again, he was a boy and everyone knows it takes boys less time to get ready.

"Morning," Ichigo said. He passed a hand through his ruffled hair.

"Morning," Rukia replied curtly, grabbing a brush and pulling it through her short, raven hair. She was aware that Ichigo was watching her as she brushed her hair, ridding it of all the knots that managed to work their way into her hair while she slept. She finished and placed the hair brush back in her bag. Maybe she could just pretend this was a permanent vacation.

"We should get to breakfast now," he said awkwardly. Rukia nodded and followed him out of the room and down the hall. He stopped at the entrance of a dining area of some sort and motioned for her to go before him. The King and Queen were already eating breakfast with two young girls. One had short, light brown hair and another had short black hair. The brown-haired one jumped up from the table and ran to Rukia. She hugged Rukia and looked up at her, eyes sparkling.

"Hello Rukia! My name is Yuzu. I am Ichigo's sister," she pointed back to the dark haired girl, "and that is Karin, my twin sister." Karin cast a dark look at Rukia before returning to eating her breakfast.

"Hello, Yuzu. It seems you already know who I am," Rukia chucked, instantly liking the bubbly little girl. Even if she didn't like Ichigo, she could like his family. Yuzu took Rukia's hand and led her to a seat next to Ichigo's.

"I hope you still like eggs! I made them today because daddy told me that you had them for breakfast every morning in England. And I made toast too!" The lively little girl set a plate of food down for Rukia and Ichigo.

"Why thank you Yuzu," Rukia smiled at her. Rukia wondered to herself why Yuzu cooked. Wasn't that for cooks? Karin sent another dark look at Rukia.

"You know, Yuzu, she's not in England anymore. So why treat her to her precious little English food and not Italian?" Karin said loud enough for Rukia to hear. Rukia felt her ears burn up with embarrassment.

"Because it's her first night away from her old home! Daddy also told me that Rukia has never been away from London before," Yuzu scolded Karin.

"Yes, Karin. Let's show Rukia some hospitality. It was her first night away from her old home. She must be feeling homesick," Masaki, Ichigo's mother and the Queen, said while smiling at Rukia. Karin grumbled at her mother's words and looked down at her plate. Rukia smiled at the Queen's kindness.

"It's true?" Ichigo looked at her with curiosity. Rukia felt her ears redden again.

"Y-y-yes. I've never been away from London before," Rukia said softly, fixing her eyes on the wall behind Yuzu. Byakuya never let her go outside of London before, saying it was dangerous for a princess to travel. Ichigo nodded and began to eat. Rukia picked up her fork and took a bite of eggs.

"Do you like it?" Yuzu asked, eyes shining.

"Of course! It's delicious. You made this all by yourself?" Rukia voiced her question out loud.

"Well, I had some help from the cooks. But I'm learning how to cook all by myself!" Yuzu said excitedly.

"That's great!" Rukia said and took another bite of eggs. Isshin and Masaki finished first and walked out together, saying they had important matters to attend to so they couldn't stay while the others finished. Karin followed shortly after, not wanting to be anywhere near Rukia. Yuzu trailed her sister soon after. And Ichigo and Rukia were left alone. Ichigo thought they did this on purpose.

"Why does Karin seem like she hates me?" Rukia thought out loud.

"Because she knows the marriage was arranged. Yuzu is the only one who doesn't know so please don't tell her," Ichigo explained. It finally dawned on Rukia. Ichigo was her husband. And she was his wife. She didn't know why it took so long to sink in, but when it did, she abruptly stood up and walked away saying 'excuse me'. She had to clear her head. Ichigo stared after her, puzzled. He proceeded to eat the rest of his breakfast before also leaving.

Rukia didn't know why she left, but just knew she did. She wandered around for a while. After a few minutes, she located Yuzu and followed her around the rest of the day, helping feed all the little animals they had in the palace and trying to help her catch the bunny that was running around in the gardens. Together, Yuzu and Rukia caught the little bunny and placed him in the biggest cage they could find. Rukia enjoyed herself, not worrying about anything for the day.

In the evening, Rukia helped Yuzu cook the meal. They were trying to make pasta. Rukia, not knowing how to make any Italian dish or any dish for matters, and Yuzu, still new to cooking, ended up being shooed out of the kitchen because the cooks had enough of their 'nonsense' cooking.

Yuzu had left to go and find Karin. Rukia was all alone. She found herself back at _their_ room and went in. Nobody but her. Finally. Rukia set to unpacking all of her things. She took some of her dresses and hung the up in the closet. She put her hair and make-up and toiletries in the bathroom in what she thought was the proper place. She kept her bra and underwear in her suitcase though, stashing it under the bed after grabbing one last thing. She hid the object under her pillow. She didn't want Ichigo to know she still slept with a stuffed animal even though she was almost 17. She needed it though. At least that's what she told herself. Her mother had given it to her before passing away. Ha, it wouldn't be as bad if he, also a 17 year old, slept with one. She was a girl. And most girls were considered weak. While boys, they were considered to be strong and powerful. More then two centuries had passed since the downfall of the royal ages, yet people still thought these thoughts. Rukia shook her head and sat down on the bed. Hm. Life here wasn't as she imagined it. It was bad, but it wasn't great. Everyone was kind to her, but she still had to be married to that idiot they called prince. He probably didn't even like her. But why would she care what he thought of her? She didn't. Or at least that was what she told herself. She picked up her iPod and saw a missed text from Momo.

Momo:_ How is everything going? I know you're probably busy right now. Just wanted to say how much I miss you!_

Rukia:_ Aw, thanks! I miss you too! And tell Rangiku I miss her too. Everyone here is very nice. Except him. I mean he's nice, but… Anyway, what's going on in England? _Rukia sent the text and got an almost instant reply. Like Momo had been waiting for the text and pounced on her phone as she as she saw the screen light up.

Momo: _That's good! And I know what you mean. :p Nothing is going on without you here! Rangiku says she misses you too! She would text you, but she's kinda drunk right now. Someone gave her sake…tsk…tsk. :) _

Rukia: _Hahaha. What idiot would give her sake? I thought everyone knows not to give her sake! Or any alcoholic drink for matters. Well I have to go. Almost dinner time I think. I'll text you later!_

Momo: _Ok! :) _

Rukia sighed at she looked at the clock. It was almost 6 pm. She assumed that dinner would be served soon. And she was right. One moment later Ichigo walked in.

"Dinner time midget," he said, using one hand to prop himself up on the door.

"I thought I told you not to call me midget?" she raised an eyebrow at him before ducking under his arm and out the door. He shook his head as he followed the tiny girl. They went back to the dining room, sitting like they were earlier.

The meal was eaten in silence to everyone's surprise. Of course, the King and Queen were the first one done, and then Karin and Yuzu until Rukia and Ichigo were left alone again. Yep, they were leaving us alone on purpose, Ichigo thought. Rukia finished eating, but waited for Ichigo this time. After he was done, they walked back together. Rukia sneaked a glance at him, but looked at the floor when she saw he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

When they got to the room, Rukia launched herself on her bed. Ichigo looked at her weird before collapsing on his bed. He turned to her after he realized she was looking at him.

"Um…do you have any towels? I'm going to take a shower," Rukia blushed at how silly she sounded. She was just taking a shower, why make it sound so weird.

"Yeah, their in the bathroom's closet," he said, closing his eyes. He was tired even though it was only 7 pm. Rukia nodded and grabbed a few articles of clothing and headed to the bathroom. She locked the door and grabbed a towel. Turning on the faucet she slipped out of her clothes and into the shower. Grabbing some shampoo, she massaged it in her scalp and then conditioned her hair. He scrubbed herself clean and stood in the shower for a few minutes, letting the hot water wash away her worries for the moment. But sadly her worries could only fade away for the time in the shower. She turned the faucet off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying herself before tossing on her pj's.

Her hair was still damp when she came out of the bathroom and fell on her bed. She was more than happy to turn in early. However, her mind had a different opinion. So she closed her eyes and let her mind run through whatever it pleased. Such as why Byakuya had to agree to an early marriage. Usually, princesses and princes could not marry until at least one of them was eighteen. Both Isshin and Byakuya had given consent to let Rukia and Ichigo marry. How kind of them. Rukia decided she could have certainly waited until Ichigo was eighteen. Even though it would have only gained them a few months since they were about the same age. Ugh. She was done with this little talk she was having with herself. Closing her eyes, she finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

Ichigo cracked one eye open and saw her little chest rising and falling. He sat up, not being able to sleep since it wasn't even 8 pm yet. He jumped in surprise as her iPod went off. He walked over to it, by Rukia's sleeping form and saw a text.

Momo:_ Rukia, are you awake? _He ignored it and went back to his own bed and laid down. He was just glad that Rukia didn't cry herself to sleep again. He didn't want to be the reason why she cried. If only she knew how much he cared about her. If only she knew that he was the one who persuaded his father to consent to having an earlier marriage. If only she could feel the same way about him. Maybe he could make her love him. Show her that he's not a bad guy. Sighing, Ichigo rolled over onto his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rukia still peacefully sleeping. He wished he could fall asleep as easy as she could. Two words passed through his mind as he fell into a deep, fitful sleep, slightly snoring. If only.

**DONE! :D Yay! It was kinda long, but oh well. REVIEW MY DARLINGS! :DDDDDDDDD **


	5. Chapter 5

**Update time! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! :D Well enjoy! :)**

Rukia's eyes fluttered open as soft rain was pattering away on the window. Great, it was raining. More fun for her. She slowly sat up and yawned. Ichigo was already up and was in the bathroom. She went into the closet and found a black dress much like the one she wore yesterday. She slipped it on and flipped her hair out. Ichigo appeared out of the bathroom and once again they walked down to breakfast together.

For breakfast, there was an Italian biscotti with an Italian cappuccino. It wasn't much, but Italians are known for eating a light breakfast. Everyone was silent at the table until Masaki spoke.

"Ichigo, after breakfast why don't you show Rukia the gardens? I'm sure she would rather do that than follow Yuzu around all day." Masaki looked at Ichigo until he said yes even though it was still raining out.

So after breakfast, Ichigo led Rukia to the gardens even though it was still raining. It was a cold, hard rain, not like the warm summer rain it should have been. They walked around until Rukia stopped in her tracks.

"We're going to catch a cold out here!" Rukia finally shouted over the heavy down pour of rain.

"Well my mother wanted me to show you the gardens!" Ichigo shouted back; he was grumpy today since he had gotten little to none sleep last night.

"Well, we can always go back inside! This is how my sister got sick and died! And I really don't want to die!" Rukia argued when Ichigo made no move to go back inside. He liked the rain.

"Ha. I bet she died because she was sick of you and your arguing!" Ichigo had no clue why he wanted to start an argument with her. And as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them as he gazed into her hurt eyes. Rukia backed away from him and ran away. He tried to follow her, but went back inside to get something warmer on. No use in trying to catch her if he was freezing.

Rukia ran and ran. Mud was all over her shoes and legs. How dare he talk about Hisana like that! She was fuming, but she was also hurt. Why would he try and hurt her? Was this the kind of hurt she inflicted on him? Her feet were soaked when she stopped by a lone tree to rest. On instinct, she started to climb the tree. She loved to climb trees to get a better view of everything. A story her mother used to tell her was about a young girl that climbed and climbed up the tallest tree in history and saw the entire world. She missed those days. She got midway up the tree when she noticed the tree was by the great white wall. Maybe she could use the tree to get to the other side? She needed to get away and this was an opportunity right in front of her. She quickly decided when she heard Ichigo call her name. She could see his orange hair through the rain. Jumping from the tree, Rukia landed onto of the wall. Making a spilt second decision, she jumped from the wall to the ground. It wasn't a smart one she realized as she hit the ground, her ankle slipping from under her. She grimaced in pain, but got up and kept running anyway. She ran towards a nearby forest and ran between the trees almost in joy. She missed being able to ran amuck in the forest. Using the trees to prop herself forward. The joy didn't last long when her ankle collapsed on her, sending her sprawling on the forest ground. She moaned in pain, trying to get up, but couldn't. Great, she thought. Perfect! Just perfect! Alone in a forest when it's pouring rain out. Just her luck. She would have been better off running inside and locking Ichigo out of their room. Looking around, she spotted a small cave that seemed empty and was not too far of a crawling distance. Using her hands, she crawled towards it and propped herself up on the wall once inside. It wasn't as small as she thought it was. It could probably more than two people.

xxxxxxxxx

Ichigo ran back outside and looked everywhere. He couldn't find her! Suddenly, he saw tiny footprints in the mud. Following them, they led him to a huge lone tree by the white wall. He climbed it when the footprints stopped there, hoping to dear god that she was in the tree. She wasn't. But there was a faint outline of her footprint on top of the wall. She couldn't have… he thought as he could faintly make out more footprints leading the way towards a forest in the distance. Ichigo cursed as he used the hanging tree branches to let himself down onto the other side. He followed the footprints into the forest. But, once in the forest, the footprints stopped. He had no clue which way she went. And by judging the footprints, she was limping. He searched every little inch of space, but still couldn't find her. Where could she be? She wasn't _that _small. When suddenly he heard a tiny, almost inaudible whimper. Following the sound, he came across a small cave and Rukia was in it! Imagine his luck. She was a mess with her hair sticking to her face because of the rain, and mud splashed all over her legs and feet. Her right ankle looked swollen too.

Rukia looked up at Ichigo hovering over her. So he found her that fast. Great. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Rukia, why did you run away?" he asked, squeezing himself in the cave.

"Meh," was all she felt like saying. She was freezing. Ichigo noticed and tried to pull her close. She pushed him away. He held onto her waist and pulled her closer while she tried to push him away.

"Ichigo, let go of me!" she yelled. He pulled her next to him and wrapped part of his coat around her. She tried to pull away from his grasp, but he was stronger than her. She didn't want to be near him.

"Ichigo let go!" she cried out. Ichigo held on tighter and hugged her.

"Rukia, you're crying," he mumbled as he held onto her even tighter. Rukia struggled, cursing and shouting. Ichigo kept his grasp on her waist as she squirmed around. Finally, she stopped moving and gave up. Damn, he was stronger than her. She had to admit she was warmer with his arms around her, but she'd rather freeze than be like this. Maybe. Then she started to sob, she didn't know why, but she knew she did. She hid her face in Ichigo's chest and cried her little heart out.

Ichigo held Rukia in his arms as she cried. He didn't know the reason why she was crying, but he held onto her, trying to get her warm since all she had was a summer dress. They were going to be in the cave awhile unless they really wanted to run back to the palace when it was pouring rain out. The rain was more than a pour now, it was thunder storming. That was the part he hated about rain. Usually he loved the rain, but when it was a thunder storm, he didn't. And Rukia didn't seem to like it either. She jumped every time she heard thunder or saw lightening.

Rukia hated when it thunder stormed. As a young child, she had been afraid, and she hadn't changed. But every time there was a thunder storm, Rangiku or Momo had been there. And now she had no one but Ichigo. Who was, at the moment, holding onto her like his life depended on it.

"Rukia. I'm sorry about what I said earlier," Ichigo said, a blush creeping on his face.

"It's okay," Rukia murmured before she jumped at the sound of thunder. Ichigo tightened his grip on her. He wanted to make her feel safe even though he knew she hated him. If only she knew how much he liked her ever since they met.

_Ichigo hid shyly behind his father as they entered the England palace. It was his first time here and he was a little scared. _

_Byakuya greeted them at the palace entrance and welcomed them in. It was before England and Italy were on the verge of war. His father, King of Italy, had to meet with Byakuya, King of England, to talk about important trading issues. He had brought Ichigo along so he could learn a little bit about England. _

_A little girl, around the age of five, had appeared from behind Byakuya as they all walked down the hall. She waved at Ichigo and skipped up to her brother. _

"_Nii-sama, I'm bored and I want to play. But Rangiku and Momo are both sick and can't play," the young girl pouted at her older brother. Byakuya playfully raised an eyebrow. He understood that she was implying she wanted to play with the young prince. It couldn't hurt, could it?_

"_Kurosaki, do you mind if I have a maid watch Ichigo and Rukia while we discuss these trading matters?" Byakuya asked._

"_Not at all!" Isshin said, relieved that Ichigo would be out of his hair. Byakuya summoned a young maid who took Ichigo and Rukia to a spare room that was filled with Rukia's toys. Ichigo watched as Rukia picked out a certain number of stuffed animals._

"_Here, you can be the daddy bunny and I can be the mommy bunny," Rukia said handing a white bunny to Ichigo and taking a white one for herself. She got up and picked up a small white bunny with a brown patch around its eye and handed it to the maid. "And you can be the baby!" The maid laughed as she sat down by Ichigo and Rukia. Everyone in the kingdom adored Rukia and it was impossible not to love the small child and obey her wishes. Impossible it was as Ichigo grew to love the little girl who loved to include everyone she can in her games. Maids, butlers, the cooks. Even Byakuya would join in on her games to make her happy. _

_They spent the rest of the day playing all sorts of games. They played house and board games, playing with stuffed animals and dolls, much to Ichigo's distaste since he was a boy and boys weren't suppose to play with dolls. Rukia even tried to 'style' Ichigo's hair. He wasn't happy about it, but he let Rukia put his wild orange hair in tiny ponytails and hairclips. At the end of the day, Ichigo was sad to have to leave Rukia and go home, but he would never forget her. He never did._

Ichigo watched as the rain seemed to lighten up a bit and the thunder storm went down a notch.

"We should try to get back before it starts to rain heavily again," Ichigo suggested as he got out of the cave and stood up. Rukia had stopped crying after awhile. She nodded and began to stand up before falling back down. Ichigo looked down at her with concern in his eyes.

"Rukia, what's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"My ankle. I slipped and I think I twisted it," Rukia said, lowering her eyes to the ground when she saw how worried he was. "I can walk." She tried to get up again, but fell on her butt again.

"Here," Ichigo said as he scooped her up in his arms.

"I-I can walk," she repeated firmly.

"No, you can't. You couldn't even get up. I'm carrying you home," he stated and started walking towards the palace. Rukia sighed and snuggled into the warmth of his coat that he had wrapped around her.

He got no looks from the guards as they let him through the front gates with Rukia, who was embarrassed and hid her face in his chest, in his arms.

Isshin and Masaki looked at the two from a window. They had witnessed what had happened from the start and decided to let them figure out this little mess themselves. Maybe Rukia could come to love Ichigo like he loved her.

Ichigo set Rukia down in their room after asking a palace doctor to meet them there. A young, blonde-haired doctor appeared and wrapped an ice pack around her ankle telling her to rest and keep her ankle elevated. He didn't ask how she got the twisted ankle though, much to Rukia's relief.

Ichigo put a pillow under Rukia's ankle and sat down next to her on the bed. She closed her eyes and leaned on what she thought was a pillow, but it actually was Ichigo's arm. She fell asleep after a minute or two. Ichigo smiled at how easily she could fall asleep and gently put her head on a pillow. She started to talk in her sleep.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your light_," she mumbled, fidgeting in her sleep. The words were like a song, but Ichigo couldn't put a finger on what song it could be.

"_Curled up to this lullaby. Even when's music gone, gone, Just close your eyes. The sun is going down. You'll be alright. No one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound," _it sure did sound like she was singing in her sleep. Ichigo wondered what she was dreaming about to make her sing in her sleep.

He watched her sleep(**like Edward XD**) until it was almost dinner time. He was starving. They both had missed lunch since he went out looking for her. Gently, he shook her shoulders. She grumbled, not wanting to leave her dream-state. He sighed and left her to sleep as he walked out for a much needed dinner. He would have to come up with something to tell his family on how Rukia twisted her ankle. He certainly did not want to tell his family the real version.

Rukia woke up and yawned. She looked around and saw Ichigo was gone. How long had she been asleep? She yawned again and spotted her iPod at the end of her bed. Trying to reach it, she stretched her arm to try and grab it. She couldn't reach it. She suddenly got a thought and used her foot that wasn't injured and slid the iPod towards her hand. She looked at the messages. Three missed texts all from Momo.

Momo: _Hey Rukia!_

Momo: _Rukia?_

Momo:_ Did your iPod die or something?_

Rukia quickly texted back.

Rukia: _Hey. No, my iPod didn't die. I've just been…out, that's all. _Rukia wanted to tell Momo what happened, but she decided against it.

Momo: _Oh sorry! I forgot you're a princess! Sorry, I know stupid! You probably have bigger things to do than text me!_

Rukia: _Haha, no. It's fine. Actually I haven't done any 'princess' things that I thought I would have done. In fact, all I've done so far is basically nothing. _

Momo: _Oh. Well I have to go Rukia! Text you later! :) _

Rukia: _Bye!_

Rukia shook her head then looked at the clock. It was past 6 pm! She should be having dinner with them right now. But she couldn't move that blasted ankle. Great. She had basically nothing for breakfast, no lunch, and now no dinner. She started to grumble about her stupid ankle as the door opened. Ichigo appeared with a bowl of soup in one hand.

"Dinner, midget," he said, setting the bowl just out of her reach.

"I thought, for the third time, I told you not to call me that?" Rukia said, crossing her arms over her chest. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Yep, but I'm still going to call you what are," he taunted. "Anyway, everyone said they hope your ankle gets better."

"_Everyone?_" Rukia questioned. She would be very surprised if Karin said that.

"Okay, maybe not everyone, but a majority," Ichigo sighed, running a tan hand through his hair. He picked up the bowl of soup and handed it to her.

"No spoon? Am I supposed to eat it with my hands?" Rukia teased. Ichigo sighed and handed her a spoon.

"Here. Anyways, did you know you sing in your sleep?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, but usually that only happens when…," Rukia trailed off and looked at her hands.

"When what?" Ichigo pressed on, more curious then before. Rukia shook her head and continued to look at her hands before she began to eat her soup. Ichigo frowned and sat down on his bed. Neither of them mentioned what happened earlier and both felt fine going back to the way it was before it happened.

Later that night, after Rukia and Ichigo had settled down for bed, it started to thunderstorm again. They were both still wide awake. Ichigo heard Rukia make a sound and saw her pull the blanket over her head. She squeaked when there was a particularly loud bang of thunder.

He was about to say something, but decided against it. Eventually, he fell asleep, but Rukia was still awake and not going to fall asleep any time soon. The thunder storm was still going at it, rain pouring down and hitting the roof with a loud splat. She hesitated before hobbling out of bed, cursing under her breathe as pain shot through her ankle. Limping, she made her way over to Ichigo's bed. She once more hesitated before climbing into bed with him, and snuggling under the covers. She shifted until her back was pressed gently against his and closed her eyes. She always felt safer during thunder storms if someone was next to her. And at the moment, he was the only person available. Slowly, she felt herself drift into a deep sleep and sighed contently.

Ichigo stiffened as he felt the bed dip slightly under a weight. He was about to turn around and attack what he thought was an intruder when he felt someone's back pressed gently against his. He waited a few moments then cranked his neck as far as it could go and was shocked at what he saw. Rukia was curled up next to him, already asleep. He didn't dare try to move into a different position that might wake her up. He heard her sigh, but it wasn't a sad or unhappy one. More like a content sigh. He was beyond surprised that she would sleep in the same bed as him. _Well, I don't want to end up squishing her. Maybe I could just turn around a little bit, _Ichigo told himself as he shifted so that he was facing Rukia. He admired how she looked while she slept no scowl or frowns. She looked so peaceful. Now only if she was this way when she was awake. Eventually Ichigo settled down and unknowingly wrapped his arms around Rukia in his sleep. Still sleeping, he pulled her closer to him. Rukia felt warmth and snuggled against whatever it was that holding her. And they both had a small smile upon their faces.

**This one was longer than the rest! :D Well I hoped you likey. If you did….REVIEW MY DARLINGS! :DDDD And have a wonderful day! Love you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thank you so so so so so so very much for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! Well enjoy! Oh and by the way, if you haven't noticed yet, I love fluffiness. So while reading this story, you may get diabetes. Maybe… **

Rukia snuggled into the warmth, not wanting to open her eyes just yet. She felt a pair of arms around her and nestled closer to whatever was holding her. Her eyes snapped open when she heard slight snoring in her ear. A pair of tan arms where wrapped around her arms, pinning them down by accident. She cursed under her breathe as she tried to slip through the arms. They were too tightly wound around her. They loosened enough after a minute for her to slip out.

Quietly jumping out of Ichigo's bed, Rukia hopped back in hers, throwing the cover over herself. She remembered how she ended up in bed with him, but didn't remember him wrapping his arms around her. A blush rose to her cheeks. She shook her head and laid down on her bed. She fell back asleep right before Ichigo woke up.

Ichigo grumbled at the loss of warmth in his arms. He groped around, looking for the thing he lost before opening his eyes. He then remembered that Rukia had crawled into bed with him last night when she thought he was asleep. Where was she now? He glanced over at the other bed and saw she was sound asleep in it. Did he dream that she was in his arms? It seemed too real to be a dream. Sighing, he gazed at Rukia's sleeping form. He envied how peacefully she could sleep. Last night was the first night he had actually gotten some sleep. Usually he would toss and turn in his sleep. He sighed again and got up out of bed. Walking over to Rukia's bed, he poked her side. Rukia grumbled and turned her back to him. He poked her again. She slapped his hand away and nestled closer into the covers.

"Rukia, wake up," he softly said. Once more she grumbled. "Rukia, wake up." He said more loudly. Seeing no reaction, he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder. She seemed then and there to 'wake up' and pounded her fist on his back.

"Ichigo put me down this instant!" Rukia yelled. He smirked and gently put her on the ground.

"Oh, so now you're awake?" he teased and cocked an eyebrow. Rukia gave him a glare.

"Of course I am now! Because you lifted me off the ground!" Rukia glared at him again. She was going to go back to bed when she noticed something important on the ground. She quickly scooped up the item and hid it behind her back.

"What's that?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Rukia said nervously. She backed up to the bed and hid the item under her covers.

"Let me see," Ichigo said, lifting the covers back up and snatching the item that Rukia hid from him.

"Give it back!" Rukia yelled at once. Ichigo held the stuffed animal bunny above Rukia's head and smirked again.

"Still sleep with a stuffed animal?" he teased. Rukia stepped onto her bed then leaped onto Ichigo.

"Give it back!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached out her arm. Even with her on his back, she still couldn't reach her beloved stuffed animal bunny.

"Give it back!" she repeated and stretched her arm higher.

"Nah," he said casually. Rukia reached her arm even farther and snagged the bunny's ears. She yanked it out of Ichigo's grasp and jumped from his back and onto her bed. He laughed midway then stopped when he noticed Rukia had thrown her covers over herself. He realized he had hurt her feelings and sat down on her bed.

"Rukia, I was just kidding," he said, feeling guilty. He saw her move under the covers, but she didn't reply. "Rukia?" He poked her side. She squirmed away from him.

"I'm sorry Rukia," still no answer. "Rukia, come on. I was just joking." Ichigo poked her side again. A hand appeared from the covers and slapped his hand. He drew his hand back and sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Um, Rukia we need to go down to breakfast," he said looking at the clock. Rukia mumbled something and he saw her draw her knees up to her chest under the covers. Ichigo stood up and decided to make up an excuse for her not being at breakfast. He could just tell his family that her ankle still hurt.

"Well I'm going to breakfast," he said before throwing some clothes on and leaving. Rukia poked her head out from under the covers. She had the room to herself for a little while. She slid out of bed and threw on one of the many dresses that Masaki had given her for her wedding shower. It was a longer dress, crimson red with a sweetheart neckline. Brushing her hair, she walked about the room and placed the brush back on the nightstand. She also hid her stuffed animal bunny under her pillow where she hoped Ichigo wouldn't find it. After a few minutes, she found herself laying on her tummy on Ichigo's bed reading one of the books she brought with her. His bed was much more comfortable and bigger than hers. In the middle of reading her book, the door opened and closed without her noticing. Ichigo crept over to Rukia and poked her. She jumped up, the book flying out of her hand and into Ichigo's face.

"Ow!" he said. He caught her book and threw it on the bed.

"Well that's what you get for scaring me!" Rukia snapped. She snatched her book from his bed and carefully placed it on hers.

"Here. I brought you breakfast," Ichigo grumbled and set down her food on the nightstand. Rukia quickly ate it and sat down on her bed.

"Um. Can I ask you a question?" Ichigo said awkwardly.

"Sure," Rukia said.

"Did you climb in bed with me last night? Because I swore someone was in my bed last night," his eyes stared straight into her eyes. Rukia slightly brushed and avoided his gaze. She stuttered out something Ichigo couldn't understand and turned away from him. He put both hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Maybe I did. So what…I'm afraid of thunderstorms," Rukia admitted as her head hung low. Byakuya taught her never to reveal her fears to anyone, but she did. As on cue, a roll of thunder was let out as the skies darkened. Rukia squeaked and accidently leaped forward into Ichigo's arms.

"That's the third time its thunder stormed in the past two days. Weird," Ichigo muttered as he absentmindedly hugged Rukia. She pressed her face in his chest as a crack of lightning flashed against the window and rain poured down. She just needed someone to hold her right now. Rukia pulled away and sat down on her bed. She sighed and buried her head in her pillow. Ichigo got up and sat down on his own bed.

"We're having an end of the summer celebration on August 31th just so you know. Everyone in Italy celebrates it," he said after several moments of awkward silence. Rukia nodded then yawned.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" he asked. Rukia shook her head. She had tossed and turned in Ichigo's arms last night and felt like she had gotten no sleep.

"Well you might as well sleep until lunch," Ichigo suggested. Rukia nodded again. She threw the covers over herself and closed her eyes. A clash of thunder and lightning had her eyes snapping open again. Ichigo noticed and got up. Leaning over her, he poked her nose in a playful manner. She slightly smiled, but it disappeared as soon as thunder rolled again. He frowned at her frightened expression and scooped her up in his arms. She protested and squirmed in his arms. He lifted her up and set her down gently on his bed. He tossed a sheet over her and tucked her in like he would a young child. She had a confused expression on her face as he did this, but made no move to stop him. He laid down next to her. She nestled closer to him and closed her eyes with relief, grateful to be able to sleep some more. Ichigo wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. Rukia noticed he was acting stranger since he went to breakfast.

"Is there anything wrong Ichigo?" she asked. Looking up, she saw his eyes veer somewhere other than hers and he mumbled out a pathetic 'nothing'. She sighed and let him keep his arms around her. She was too tired to care. She rested her head on the pillow and fell asleep.

When Rukia woke up, Ichigo was gone. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was almost dinner time! She only intended a small nap, but took a much longer one then expected. She stood up and smoothed out the wrinkled in her dress. She should have just stayed in her pj's if she had known she would have stayed in the room must of the day. Ichigo suddenly appeared in the room, a worried expression on his face.

"Uh, maybe we should just eat in the room tonight," he said.

"No, I've been in this room all day. I want to sit down at a dinner table and eat with your family," Rukia insisted. Ichigo shrugged and led her out of the room and to the dining hall. Everyone was already there, waiting. Every single one of them was quite, even Yuzu. Karin didn't even send her a dirty look that day, just a sad one. Rukia was confused as she sat down. The chefs came in and served dinner. Rukia didn't pay attention to what she ate as she wondered why everyone was acting so weird. When she finished, Yuzu and Karin stood up.

"Uh, Rukia you go ahead of me. I need to talk to my parents…in private," Ichigo said. Rukia slowly nodded and followed Yuzu and Karin out of the dining hall. Half way down the hall, Yuzu turned around with tears in her eyes and trapped Rukia in a death grip.

"What's wrong Yuzu?" Rukia asked, bending down to her height. Yuzu shook her head and let go of Rukia. She ran down the hall and flung the door open to her and Karin's shared room and shut herself in. Karin slowly followed Yuzu in the room, casting one more sad look back at Rukia before closing their door. Rukia made her way down to the hall where their room was, wondering why Yuzu and Karin were so sad and why Yuzu was crying. She turned corner to a dead end hallway and to the door to their room.

Once inside their room, she decided to take a shower. Rukia gathered up a towel and her night clothes and headed in the bathroom. Turning on the water, she stepped in. She grabbed the bar of soap, but it slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. She was going to pick it up, but slipped on it instead. She screamed in pain as the marble shower collided with her head. Her vision was hazy, but she managed to turn the water off and grab a towel to cover herself. She barely had the towel draped over herself when spots began to appear before everything went black.

Ichigo was walking down the hall when he heard an ear-splitting scream. He raced to his sisters' room to see if they were fine before checking on Rukia. She wasn't in the room. He peeked in the bathroom and saw a dark locket of hair draped over the side of the shower. He walked into the bathroom and saw Rukia collapsed in the shower, a small pool of blood forming from the back of her head. A towel was loosely draped over her.

Ichigo ran back into the room and snatched a blanket off of her bed and went back to the bathroom. He threw it over her and picked her up, tucking the blanket all around her. She groaned as he started to walk towards the door. He cradled her in his arms as he rushed to the palace's royal doctor's room. The royal doctor was just about to leave his room when he noticed Ichigo walking towards him.

"Bring her in my room," the doctor ordered. Ichigo watched for the past hour as the doctor tended to Rukia's head and stitched the wound back together.

"She took quite a hit to the head. Keep her in bed for a few days. I'll come in every day to check in on her," the doctor said. Rukia had woken up after the doctor put the stitches in, but was now fast asleep in Ichigo's arms. Ichigo carried her back to their room and set her on his bed. Tucking her in, he left to go and inform his mother and father.

Rukia woke up with a killer pain in the back of her head. She rubbed her eyes and realized she was in Ichigo's bed. She yawned and stretched her arms out. Ichigo had left her book she was reading earlier today by her. She picked it up then put it down again, not interested in reading anything. Getting out of bed, she noticed that she had no clothes on. Blushing, she quickly grabbed something from the closet and shoved it on. She ventured out into the hallway. Hearing Ichigo's voice, she followed it around a corner and peeked around it. Ichigo and his father were walking away from her. She could only pick up some of their conversation.

"You need to tell her son. She'll find out eventually whither you like it or not," Isshin whispered.

"I will. But it will break her heart to know that England and Italy declared war against each other," Ichigo sighed. Rukia covered her mouth to hold in her gasp, but it was too late. Ichigo heard it and turned around. All he saw was a dark haired burr running away.

"Rukia!" he called. Isshin sighed and shook his head. _Poor girl, loyalty torn between two countries. Her home country and her new one. _

Ichigo ran after Rukia, but she had a head start one him.

Rukia ran and ran even though her head was killing her. She finally reached the room and shut the door, locking it. Ichigo had been a second late and his face was met by a door slammed shut. He jiggled the knob and realized Rukia had locked him out.

"Rukia! I was going to tell you!" he said through the door.

"When? After the war was over?" Rukia shouted back, burrowing her head in a pillow to stop her sobs.

"Rukia, I'm sorry!" Ichigo pleaded. No answer but muffled sobs. He went off in search of the pair of keys he hid in case he got locked out of his room.

Rukia buried her head in a pillow and sobbed. What could she do? She knew a lot the soldiers of England. She visited them every Sunday afternoon where they trained in the barracks. She knew many of their names and all about their families back home somewhere in England from when they would share all about them because they got lonely. She would feel guilty knowing that Italy's solider had killed them, and their family members never to see them living again. Her heart was torn in two, loyalty to the country that raised her from birth and to her new country. She was so mad at Ichigo for not telling her sooner! That's why everyone was so quiet today and Ichigo was acting much kinder to her.

_Hmp. _She thought. _Wasn't this marriage supposed to keep war at bay? I could have actually married someone I wanted to! _She wanted to scream in frustration.

Suddenly Rukia heard the knob turn and closed her eyes and breathed deeply as a person in a deep sleep would. She heard a pair of footsteps walk towards her. Someone leaned over her.

Ichigo finally found the spare keys and went back to the room. He unlocked the door and stepped in quietly. Rukia was passed out on his bed. He leaned over her and saw dried tears on her cheeks. He gently wiped them from her cheeks. She scrunched up her nose in her sleep and sneezed. Her eyes flew open and stared back at Ichigo's.

"I'm sorry Rukia," he said. She mumbled something and lowered her eyes. "How's your head?" he tried to change the subject.

"It hurts," she muttered. He frowned at her answer.

"You should get some more sleep then," he said.

"I'm not tired," Rukia protested and sat up. Ichigo gently pushed her back down.

"Still," he persisted. Rukia frowned at him and crossed her arms, sitting up again.

"What am I going to have to pin you down to get you to sleep?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Rukia said before yelping when he actually did pin her down. He wrapped his arms around hers' and forced her to lie down.

"Ichigo, let go of me or else!" Rukia warned.

"Or else what?" Ichigo smiled mischievously.

"I'll…I'll…," Rukia took a moment to think, "I'll kick you down there!"

"I'd like to see you try," he said, smirking while still having a tight grip around her. She tried to draw her foot back, but raised her head back and hit it on the headboard instead.

"Ow!" she yelled. Ichigo immediately let go of her arms and cradled her head instead. Rukia put a hand on her head and felt her stitches. She groaned and let her hand drop.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked worriedly. Rukia rolled her eyes at him.

"Does it sound like I'm okay?" she asked sarcastically. She winced when she put a hand back up to her head where the stitches were. At least she hadn't broken the stitches open. But it still really hurt.

"Just try and get some rest please," Ichigo said, pinning her down again.

"Hey!" she yelped.

"Well it seems the only way to get you to sleep is if I make you," he said. Rukia pouted and struggled, trying to get out of his grasp. He tightened his grip on her and made her lie down again.

"Please?" he pleaded.

"I told you I'm not tired. It's not even 8:30 pm yet!" Rukia protested.

"Fine. What are you going to do until you go to bed?" Ichigo asked and let go of Rukia. She shrugged.

"I don't know. Um…read or something. I just don't want to go to bed yet," Rukia said. Ichigo smiled at her and handed her the book she brought with. Rukia flipped it open and read a few sentences before putting it down.

"Ichigo, answer me this. Why did England and Italy declare war on each other?" Rukia looked at him. He avoided her eyes and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um…well. Let's just say they don't get along," he tried to avoid the subject.

"Tell me the real reason why," Rukia demanded. Ichigo sighed and gave in.

"You see, it goes back far back when I was five or six. Someone had been raiding Italy's trade ships that went to England. It was found out that it was England ships who had been stealing from our ships so they wouldn't have to pay for the goods that Italy delivered to them. So your brother offered your hand in marriage to try and keep peace. Evidently it didn't work since more England ships have been stealing from Italian trade ships recently." Rukia lowered her head and felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. _Would Nii-Sama let this happen? And why haven't I ever heard about this? I feel so stupid. _

Ichigo felt guilty after he told her. After all, she had thought her brother was one of the best good people she knew, right? He felt like he trampled all over her faith that her brother could do no wrong. He scooped her up in his arms and cradled her. She silently cried into his shirt. After a minute or two, he set her down on her own bed. She curled up into the fetal position and dragged a blanket over herself. She hid her face in her pillow after getting her bunny from under it and hugging it to her chest. It brought her a little comfort, but not much.

Ichigo watched her from his bed and heard a few sniffs but not a word from her. He sighed and rolled onto his back. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting sleep take over him.

Rukia listened to Ichigo's soft snoring before she too fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

"When shall we take her, sir?"

"Soon. As soon as England makes the first move."

"But sir, it had been told by our spies that England will not make a move until October!"

"Precisely my young comrade. We will not need her until October then, we will?"

"No sir."

"We will take the precious princess we needed. Now go inform the King that our spies have not picked up anything yet."

"But, I thought you just said-"

"I know what I said boy. The King will not approve of our plan you see dear boy. This needs to be kept in private. Understand? If you choose the wrong answer boy, I'm afraid you will have to be eliminated."

"Yes sir."

"Now run along and tell the King what I have told you to say. Now"

"Yes sir."

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Isshin paced around the General's room. A young solider came into the room and bowed.

"Your Highness, our spies had sent their reports," the young solider began.

"What do they say?" Isshin demanded.

"So far they have not received information about the whereabouts of the English Army or when they will strike." The soldier bowed and backed out of the room. Isshin growled.

"It's been four months since I've sent them there. How could they not know?" Masaki walked in and put a hand of Isshin's shoulder.

"Do not worry my King, we will find out sooner or later. The spies have only recently notified us that England has declared war on us," Masaki comforted him.

"I do suppose. Let us hope our army is strong enough to crush theirs." Outside a man in a soldier's uniform grinned.

"Of course we will win my King. We have a secret weapon that will stop this war dead in its track," the man whispered to himself.

**DUN DUN DUN! A cliffhanger! Oh you must hate me! :D Well I hope you liked it! REVIEW MZY DARLINGS! For the more you review, the more I write. ;) BYE!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Please don't kill me! I'm sorry I took a long time to update! But I have the chapter now! So enjoy! Here's the real chapter 7!**

Rukia sighed as she looked in the mirror, twisting a strand of her short, black hair on her finger. Today was August 19th, the day where the entire Italy celebrated the ending of summer. Though, according to her calendar, summer doesn't really end until September 22nd. Oh well.

She quickly ran a brush through her hair before setting it down and walking out of the bathroom. Ichigo had already left, saying his father needed to talk with him.

_Probably about the stupid war, _she thought and sat down on her bed.

Suddenly, she felt the earth rumble and a loud boom. She fell on the floor and clutched her hands to her ears, trying to block to the ringing noise that came along with the boom. The earth kept rumbling. A few paintings crashed to the ground near her. She screamed and scrambled backwards. A book fell off a bookcase and nearly hit her. The rumbling went on for a few more minutes before ceasing. Rukia carefully stood up, for everything was strewn around her. She trudged through to the door and was about to open it when it was opened for her.

"Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed and grabbed her into a bear hug. "Are you okay?" He held her at arm's length and looked her up and down.

"Y-yes I'm fine," Rukia stuttered and slightly blushed.

"Stay here. I need to check one Yuzu and Karin," he said and turned around heading in the direction towards the twin's room. Four minutes later, a blacked-haired man appeared in the doorway.

"Are you alright?" he asked and stepped inside.

"Yes," Rukia replied.

"I'm supposed to escort you to Prince Ichigo, if you will come with me," the man said and offered Rukia a hand. She smiled but did not accept it. The man made sure she got out of the room safely and lead her down a long hallway. He turned his head back every few minutes to sure she was following him. They went down a hall that led to a smaller, darker hallway.

"Where-" Rukia was cut off by a pair of hands around her throat. She thrashed around, trying to scream, but the hands clenched tighter and tighter around her throat.

"Don't choke her, Grimmjow, we need her," the black-haired man stated, his face showing no emotion.

"Don't say my name, damn it Ulquiorra! She doesn't need to know our names!" The blue-haired man growled at his companion. Rukia's eyes widened and she fought even harder. The black-haired man led her into a trap!

"Then stop choking her, her face is turning purple," Ulquiorra said, still no emotion visible on his face. Rukia felt the hands loosen around her throat and she took in a gulp of air.

"Let me go!" she demanded and started to struggle again.

"Do I have to fucking choke you again?" Grimmjow complained and wrapped an arm around her torso to keep her more stable.

"I demand you let me go!" Rukia said and tried to thrash around again. Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"Stop playing around. We need to get her to General," Ulquiorra said.

"Whatever," Grimmjow rolled his eyes at Ulquiorra's seriousness.

"Let's go," Ulquiorra crouched down and lifted a tile up. Underneath the tile was a trap door. He heaved the thick, wooden door open. After he slipped inside, Grimmjow followed with a fighting Rukia.

"Will you stop already?" he growled.

"Not until you let me go!" she yelled. Grimmjow huffed in annoyance and closed the trap door, the tile falling back in place as if it had never been moved in the first place. They moved down the dimly lit earth tunnel. Well, more like Ulquiorra and Grimmjow walking down the tunnel, Rukia being dragged by Grimmjow.

Rukia gazed in amazement at the hand dug secret tunnel. Torches lined the walls and only lit the hall a bit. The shadows flickered against the walls, creating an eerie mood.

"Where are you taking me?" Rukia asked more quietly.

"No where you need to be concerned of…so far," Grimmjow said. Rukia hissed in frustration.

After what seemed for an hour or two of traveling, the trio arrived at the end of the tunnel. Ulquiorra opened another trap door. It led to a large, grayish tent. _Looks almost exactly like a military… _Rukia never finished her though.

"Where-where am I?"

xxxxxx

Ichigo sighed in relief as he saw that Yuzu and Karin were fine. After making sure they were being looked after, he walked back to his bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, different from when he closed it after he left. He pushed it open to find Rukia was gone.

"Great…" he groaned to himself. "She's gone." Thinking she had just run off to help someone or God knows what, he casually walked down to his father's study.

"Father," he said while knocking.

"Enter," came the gruff reply. Ichigo opened the doors and entered. He saw Isshin bent over scattered papers on his desk, sorting them and sometimes bending over to pick up some that were on the floor from the shake.

"Dang spies," Ichigo heard his father muttering to himself.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?" Isshin briefly glanced up from his papers to look at his son.

"Rukia. She's gone," Ichigo said.

"What do you mean, gone?" Isshin himself straightened up.

"I mean gone. I left her in the room to check on Yuzu and Karin and when I got back, the room was empty," Ichigo heard himself and now started to slightly worry.

"Just gone? Like that?" Isshin peered at Ichigo over his glasses.

"Yeah…" Ichigo trailed off, becoming very worried.

"I'll send the guards out to look for her. I'm sure she went off to help the girls or Masaki or something," Isshin assured him and began going through the papers again. Ichigo sighed and nodded.

He walked out of his father's study and tried not to break out into a panic fit and turn the castle upside down searching for her.

"Mom?" he entered his mother's study this time. She was at her desk, rearranging a few things that had fallen.

"Oh, Ichigo! I'm glad you're okay? Where's you're father? Is he okay?" Masaki rushed him with questions.

"He's okay. He's in his study, fixing it back the way it was. But…it's about Rukia. Do you know where she is? She's missing," Ichigo explained. Masaki could easily see, being a mother and all, how Ichigo was restraining himself from panicking.

"No, dear. I haven't. I'm sorry. She must be here somewhere though," Masaki tried to reassure him.

"Where would she be then?" he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I don't know dear," Masaki added, "We'll have the guards look for her, dear. Don't worry, we'll find her." Ichigo nodded and walked out of the room, still trying to keep his nerves calm. He glanced back and saw his mother talking to a few guards. They nodded and separated into different directions. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time since he married Rukia.

_Where the hell could she be? _He groaned internally. _It's not like she could just disappear out of the castle. The guards would have seen her leave. Ugh. _

xxxxx

"Welcome to the frontlines of war, princess," Rukia turned her head to the voice of an older, gray-haired man. Next to him sat a younger, browned-haired man with glasses.

"Frontlines of…war? What are you talking about?" Rukia tried to keep her cool.

"Yes, sweetheart," the older man stood up. "We were planning on taking you in October, but we were not informed that the English army would advance ahead of our planned date and bomb us."

"They bombed us?" Rukia's voice shook slightly, not too much. _Bombed?! But Byakuya knew that…that I was living here now! Why, why would he… _Rukia's distress must have showed on her face for the older man took a gentler tone.

"Yes, princess. They did. Our spies were discovered and hung today as reported. They obviously thought that we were still waiting for them to make the first move in October. Poor fellows," the older man sighed.

"But why are you telling me all of this?" Rukia questioned and slightly tilted her head. Grimmjow groaned behind her as if she should know. But she didn't.

"General, you do not need to tell her," the younger man who had been sitting next to the general said and laced his fingers together.

"No, she _should _know," the General said and was about to say why, but decided against it. "She _should _know, but she does not need to."

"General, where do you wish for us to keep for?" Ulquiorra asked in his monotone.

"House her with the other women that help. Maybe they will put her to work while we figure some things out," General said and opened the flap of the tent to point towards a group of other tents huddled together. Outside those tents, a few women lingered, doing various things. Rukia also peered out. She slightly frowned since all her life she had been raised in a pampered life-style, but she was determined to tough it out.

"Right this way, _your highness_," Grimmjow mocked bowed.

"Grimmjow," the brown-haired man spoke up. "That is not how we treat our guests." Grimmjow scowled and led Rukia to the women by the tents.

"See to her," he mumbled at them. Rukia stood there awkwardly after Grimmjow left, not sure what to do. These women were dressed in rags of dresses and here she was, dressed in an elaborate and beautiful dress.

"Well I hope you don't like that dress 'cuz it ain't gonna last long here," an older women in a navy blue dress joked. Rukia smiled a little bit, not entirely sure if the women was joking around or not.

"Come here dear, you must be hungry. Aunt Cecile will fix you something," a younger, prettier woman, maybe in her thirties, said to Rukia and linked her arm in Rukia's. Rukia smiled at the woman's cheerfulness.

"Oh, thank you," Rukia said as she was plopped down on a cushion in a tent and handed a bowl of what she assumed was soup.

"She's got manners, this one," Aunt Cecile said to the women around her. Rukia gratefully ate the soup, hungry since she hadn't eaten breakfast. It was thin; the soup was, but still good and fulfilling. After Rukia was done, she set the bowl down on a table before her.

"So, you must be the beautiful Princess Rukia," a voice crooned from behind her. She sharply turned her head and found a woman in her twenties staring at her.

"Yes," she cautiously said, unsure of the woman's tone or manner.

"Hm, well sorry that life here isn't as fancy as it is in the castle," Rukia could tell now that the woman was mocking her.

"Oh you hush, Rosa! Go help Maria with the men's' laundry. You hear me?" Cecile stepped in and shooed the other woman away.

"Don't mind her," Cecile offered a smile to Rukia. "She's just a little iffy about being here." Rukia nodded in understanding.

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" Rukia asked since she knew she could trust the older, larger woman.

"Well…" Cecile twisted the ring on her finger. "Well, I'm not allowed to tell you. I'm sorry dear. But don't worry; you'll go back to the castle in no time."

Rukia nodded slowly and frowned. She didn't catch the last part of what Cecile said.

"That is if you survive."

Xxxxx

Ichigo was more than frantic at this point. The guards had searched the whole castle and no Rukia.

"Where the hell is she?" he growled to himself as he paced back and forth in his room. The servants had already fixed it up and cleaned it, making it back to the way it was before the bombing. "She can't just be gone like that!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He heard a soft knock on his door. Throwing it open, he growled 'what?', expecting it to be his father or mother or even a servant. He was wrong. Outside his door was little Yuzu.

"Oh, sorry Yuzu," he apologized and sighed when he saw her frightened face. "What do you need?"

"I-I was just coming here to make sure you were okay….And to see if you found Rukia," Yuzu's voice trembled.

"No, we haven't found her yet," Ichigo leaned against the doorway. Yuzu frowned as she saw the distress in Ichigo's eyes.

"We'll find her," she said and hugged him. He smile a little and hugged her.

"I hope so," he muttered.

**There you go! I took a break from writing my novel to type this chapter! I hope you liked it. Review my darlings and tell me what you think of it. Bye! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! Unless you don't celebrate it. Then Happy UnThanksgiving to you. P.S, I know that the bombing part kinda sucked. Oh well :P**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm obsessed with a new website called Wattpad. I've been updating a few stories on there for a bit. Also, I've kind of lost inspiration for this story. Kind of. Well, enjoy (: **

Rukia awkwardly stood in the tent unsure what to do. Celia had been gone for a solid half hour. She had no clue what to do.

Rosa appeared back into the tent and grabbed what seemed to be men's clothing. Her attention was soon fixed on Rukia though.

"Oh, look at thing. Just standing there, doing nothing. You weren't brought here to stand around and look pretty," Rosa said half to herself. She glared at Rukia.

"Well now, let's get you to work. You're not going to do nothing while you're here," she herded Rukia outside and into a different tent.

This tent had large baskets of water in them. A few women were bent over the baskets scrubbing clothes with bars of soap.

"This…this is," Rukia stuttered.

"What? Old fashioned? Well you know, things aren't like they used to be," Rosa huffed and sat in front of a basket.

"What do you mean?" Rukia plopped down next to her.

"If you haven't noticed, which you probably haven't, Italy's going through a tough time. Going backwards I might say myself," Rosa said and started to wash a shirt.

"Backwards?" Rukia questioned and began to help Rosa.

"Yes, backwards. Italy, as I said before, is going through a tough time. Commoners like us are resorting back to the old ways. The ways before technology."

"Without technology?" Rukia repeated.

"Of course. Where have you been the past ten years? Oh that's right. You've been cooped up in castle," Rosa said, once again glaring at Rukia.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rukia was slightly taken back by Rosa's aggressive manner.

"It means while you were living in luxury, the rest of us have been slaving. Do you realize how difficult it is to do simple tasks without technology?" Rosa answered her own question. "Very hard, my dear."

"But…how?" Rukia couldn't help but ask.

"Italy's economy crashed. A few wrong stock buys and everything goes wrong. We commoners," Rosa spat out the word like venom in her mouth, "can't afford anything now a days. And it's also England's fault, too."

"How is it our-England's fault?" Rukia caught herself and hoped Rosa didn't hear it.

If Rosa heard it, she made no move to indicate she heard it.

"Stealing from our ships. You know, the things we ship are very expensive goods," Rosa said while rolling her eyes.

"Oh," Rukia said and went back to washing the item of clothing in her hands.

She and Rosa washed the pile of clothes before hanging them up to dry.

A silence fell over them. It wasn't comfortable, nor was it awkward. It was just silence.

Rukia turned the new information over and over in her head. She couldn't wrap her mind around the reason England was stealing from Italian ships. England was plenty rich; no reason to steal.

_Why would Byakuya hide this from me? _Rukia mused as she followed Rosa to the next task of chores.

Throughout the rest of the short day, Rukia helped Rosa with the chores. As she did realize, it was quite difficult to do even the simplest task without technological innovations.

Dinner came around and Rukia found herself sitting with the other women around a short table.

"Rukia," Cecile warily said.

"Yes?" Rukia answered looking up from her dinner.

"I suppose you do want to know the reason you're here?" Cecile said and started to nervously wring her hands.

"Yes," Rukia said and raised an eyebrow. _Where is this conversation going? _

"I didn't like to keep the truth hidden from people, and I was feeling incredibly guilty about keeping the reason why you had been forced to come here. And I don't even know if the General wants me to even tell you yet, but I feel as if I need too," Cecile rambled on and on.

"Cecile," Rukia said to cease the woman's pointless ramble.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that you were brought here to help end the war."

Everything went silent except for the clatter of a single spoon hitting table.

"What do you mean, 'help end the war'?" Rukia said as calmly as she possibly could.

"I mean, well. Here, ladies, how about you finish cleaning up dinner while I talk to Rukia," Cecile said and ushered the other women out.

Once they were gone, Cecile slowly turned around to face Rukia.

"Explain," Rukia demanded.

"Well, we knew the war wasn't going to end out well for us. We didn't want to claim war against England, but yet again, it really isn't up to us. We were behind on the innovations England had. We knew that we needed something more," Cecile started, clasping her clammy hands in front of her.

"And we needed something-or someone- that would stop them in their tracks. A man that assists the General found out a little information about how close you were to the soldiers of England and…" Cecile chose this moment to trail off; knowing Rukia was a smart girl and piece together the rest.

And she did.

"So you're telling me you're going to use me to stop the war? How in the world do you think I'm going to stop the war?" Rukia said, furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Well…I…don't know how to explain. It's just…I mean I really can't…." Cecile said.

"I think I should be going to bed," Rukia coldly said and walked out of the tent.

A minute later she walked back in.

"I would go to bed if I knew where I was supposed to sleep," Rukia awkwardly said.

Cecile just nodded, allowing a small smile, and lead Rukia to where all the women slept.

The tent had sleeping bags scattered across the room, many occupied.

Rukia claimed one and wiggled inside the warm fabric.

Many thoughts circled around and around in her mind, but she managed to finally block out all thoughts and slip into a deep slumber.

xxxxx

Ichigo paced around his-their- room. No signs of Rukia whatsoever.

"Son, you must calm down," Isshin said from the door frame.

"Calm down? She's been missing for over 24 hours! I can't calm down!" Ichigo hissed, his pacing only increasing.

"Pacing around isn't going to help you find her. Remember the other time she went missing? You found her didn't you?" Isshin said.

"How do know about the other time she went missing?" Ichigo stopped his pacing for a minute to give his father a confused look.

"I'm the king; I know everything," Isshin dismissed it away. "Anyways, we have the guards searching for her everything. She'll be found in no time." He sighed as his son resumed his pacing.

He left his son to his pacing and went off to see if the guards had any news of Rukia.

xxxxx

"When will they make the first attack?"

"In a few days' time. We will be prepared for them."

"Good. Does the girl know the reason why she was brought here?"

"Yes. Cecile got a big mouth and spilled. Not the entire plan, just half of it."

"Just half?"

"Yes, just half."

"Good."

"Yes. Sir, what do you wish to do with her until she is needed?"

"Have her work with the rest of the women."

"Yes, Sir."

"Now go. I need to speak with the General."

The sound of retreating footsteps could be here.

Aizen made sure that he could no longer hear the footsteps before getting up. He walked over to the box he kept hidden from all peeping eyes.

He opened it, grinning at the contents. In time his plan would fall into place. He had a different plan for the princess after this initial plan worked.

And had to be the most devious plan he had ever created. Now time was the only thing in the way of himself and what he wanted.

**DUN DUN DUN. Don't kill me please! *hides behind laptop* I've been a very busy person. Well, I really have. I was on Speech Team, but now the season is over. (Technically it was over in February ._. ) But I've been on a website called Wattpad. I've been uploading stories on there and updating them. I may or may not have kind of forgotten about my fan fiction account… maybe… Well, did you guys like the chapter. I'm eh about it. Not great, but not that bad. **

**I shall be doing song of the day now because I feel like it. Oh, and question of the week. **

**Song of the day: Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran. I'm obsessed with him. Help.**

**Question of the week: How did you get into Bleach? How did you find out about it? **

**Well, goodbye my darlings! Please review! I love you all!**

**-Bluekit5**


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